title: Diurnal profiles of salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase change across the adult lifespan: evidence from repeated daily life assessments.
abstract: Salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase are known to have distinctive diurnal profiles. However, little is known about systematic changes in these biomarkers across the adult lifespan. In a study of 185 participants (aged 20-81 years), time-stamped salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase were collected 7 times/day over 10 days. Samples were taken upon waking, 30 min later, and then approximately every 3 h until 9 pm. Multilevel models showed that older age was associated with increased daily cortisol secretion as indicated by greater area under the curve, attenuated wake-evening slopes, and more pronounced cortisol awakening responses. Further, older age was related to greater daily alpha-amylase output and attenuated wake-evening slopes. No age differences were observed regarding the alpha-amylase awakening response. Our findings may contribute to a better understanding of age-related differences in functioning of stress-related systems.
authors.affiliation: University of Marburg, Department of Psychology, Marburg 35032, Germany. Electronic address: nater@uni-marburg.de.
authors.forename: Urs M
authors.initials: UM
authors.lastname: Nater
authors.forename: Christiane A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Hoppmann
authors.forename: Stacey B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Scott
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D019540:Area Under Curve; D001835:Body Weight; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000378:metabolism*; D007118:Immunoassay; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012463:Saliva / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*; D012737:Sex Factors; D055815:Young Adult; D000516:alpha-Amylases / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000516:alpha-Amylases; D006854:Hydrocortisone
keywords: Aging; Cortisol; Lifespan; Salivary alpha-amylase